Part of a series on |
New Testament apocrypha |
---|
Christianity portal |
The Letter of Peter to Philip is a Gnostic writing.[1][2] It was initially discovered as the second tractate in Codex VIII of the Nag Hammadi library.[1] The tractate is a Coptic translation of a Greek original,[1] likely written in c. 200 AD.[2] An additional copy of the text, also written in Coptic, was later found in Codex Tchacos.[3]
The work begins as a putative epistle from Peter to Philip the Apostle. However, this is more of a framing device, and the narrative quickly changes to a dialogue between Jesus and the disciples.[4][2] The central message of the writing is to emphasize the soteriological value of preaching the message of Jesus.[1] In practice it is more of an apocalypse, revealing secrets from Christ in the form of a dialogue recorded in a letter.[5]